Fractured Cups
by Animetomangaotaku
Summary: Her cup was imperfect just like her family.


**DISCLAIMER: Hetalia will sadly never be mine...  
**

* * *

The silence was choking. Taiwan didn't dare look up, if she did so that would have meant making eye contact with the members of her family. With Vietnam who's land was ripped apart by communism. With South Korea who's own *sibling betrayed him. With Hong Kong who was taken away by England. With Macau who'd been attacked and taken over like he was worth nothing. With Japan who suffered through times of pain. With China who was abandoned by them all. Taiwan wondered what possessed China to invite his once whole family over to "discuss" current situations, he must be mad to think the dysfunctional family would be able to communicate. But then again, China didn't always come up with the best ideas.

They sat around China's dining table. The only sound to be heard was the kettle whistling away as it heated up the water which would later be converted to tea. Taiwan dared to lift her eyes and surveyed the rooms inhabitants. Korea looked wistful, his eyes stared off into the distance lost in memories. Japan kept his face down, avoiding all forms of communication. Hong Kong merely looked bored fiddling with his fingers as he allowed his blank gaze to sweep across the room. Macau seemed nervous, eyes darting to and fro as if he expected a fight to start up. Vietnam shot suspicious glares at everyone. China simply watched them all.

She wasn't sure when, but gradually the silence began to drive her insane. Korea should have been running around attempting to grope Japan, Hong Kong should have been setting up explosions while being reprimanded by Macau and Vietnam. China should have been yelling for them to respect him as their elder brother, Taiwan herself should have been conversing with Japan or perhaps yelling at China to be quiet. That's how things used to be before the wars and betrayals. Now it was all silence. How many times had she screamed for Korea to be quiet? For China to stop talking? Now she wished the opposite, something, anything to break the unbearable silence.

Minutes or hours passed until finally the quietness of the room was shattered by the shriek of the kettle. China rose and clambered to the kitchen soon returning with a tray full of cups and a pot of tea. China placed a cup in front of Taiwan and she almost gasped. This cup it couldn't be...

* * *

_"Gather around children! Let's make some art aru!" China beamed.  
"Chugoku-san I am no longer a child if I may remind you." Japan sighed, a cross expression flashing on the 10 year olds face. Taiwan ran up to China as fast as her 5 year old feet could run. Macau and Hong Kong had beaten her and were already seated in front of China. Vietnam and South Korea slowly made their way over. Even Japan carefully shifted closer to the 4000 year old nation.  
"What do you mean by art aniki?" Korea asked confused, his meaty toddler hands clenching in excitement.  
"How would you all like to try making cups?" China asked enthusiastically.  
"Like drinking cups?" Vietnam piped up.  
"Precisely."  
_

* * *

With trembling hands Taiwan reached for the cup China had placed in front of her. She traced the designs scratched onto it with gentle fingers. The cups were antique now, decades old. Hardly suitable for drinking tea out of.

* * *

"_Well how do you make cups?" Macau asked.  
"You mold it out of clay and such." Japan informed.  
"Exactly! Now let's get started aru!"  
_

* * *

Hong Kong still maintained his blank facial expression but Taiwan noticed the gleam that flashed in his dark eyes when China placed his cup in front of him.

* * *

_"I'm going to carve dragons on mine!" Hong Kong announced eagerly his small fingers already etching a very disfigured dragon onto his horribly molded cup with a chopstick. The clay which was still wet and moist made squelching sounds as the chopsticks carved into it.  
"That looks more like squiggles than a dragon!" Korea laughed poking fun at the nation.  
_

* * *

Korea reached out to touch his cup as China placed it in front of him. As if the Korean couldn't believe what he was seeing unless he proved to himself that it was real.

* * *

_"I'm going to draw aniki and everybody else on mine! What're you going to do Viet?" Korea tittered.  
"A row boat and a paddle..."  
"Why aru?" China asked curiously.  
"I like being on a rowboat it's...calming."  
"You sound old Viet! I'm going to put flowers on mine! Like the ones that I wear in my hair!" Taiwan laughed.  
_

* * *

Macau smiled sadly as his cup was placed in front of him. With trembling hands he gently lifted his cup up to inspect it more closely. Holding it with such cautiousness that one would think it would crumble into ashes at any given moment.

* * *

"_I'm going to carve a cup of tea on mine." Macau said happily.  
"You want to put a cup of tea on what you'll use to drink an actual cup of tea?" China asked amused as Macau nodded. Japan stayed silent but Taiwan could plainly see the beautiful cherry blossoms etched on his own cup.  
_

* * *

Japan looked with wide eyes ,Vietnam mimicked the Japanese man. China went around the table once more, this time pouring tea into every single cup.  
"The tea...it's good." Korea mumbled thoughtfully.  
"Yes, calming in some way." Vietnam added quietly.  
"It's very warm!" Taiwan whispered blushing as she realized how illogical the statement sounded. Of course the tea would be warm! She just didn't want the conversations to die out. Her effort was futile for the room was thrown back into an eerie silence. But...the quietness wasn't so bad anymore. Before, the silence had been like the calm before a storm, where one knew bad things were to come. But the silence now was like the stillness after a storm, when the chaos had passed.

Taiwan watched her family sip their tea in uncharacteristic solemnness. It was then that she realized how fragile her family was. How easily it had been for them to fight one another...to hurt one another. Had they really been a family or had it all been an illusion? She looked down at the ancient cup which she gripped tightly in her hands. The cup that had lasted decades. That survived through battles and pain.

Taiwan noted the hairline fracture that ran along the side. Her cup was imperfect, just like her family. Japan seemingly noticed her concentration on the crack.  
"You shouldn't worry too much Taiwan-chan, you can always fix the crack with clay..."  
"Oh yes of course!" She answered smiling at him, Japan sent a hesitant smile back.

* * *

"_Aniki what happens if we break our new cups?" Korea asked worried.  
"I wouldn't worry too much about that aru!"  
"Why not?" Macau questioned cautiously.  
"Anything broken can always be fixed aru!" China beamed.  
_

* * *

She stared at her cup. The broken cup which could never really go back to how it once was. But with a little clay...she could make it better. She then stared at her broken family. Maybe...things couldn't go exactly back to the way they used to be...but maybe. Maybe with time and effort the crack could be patched up. All she needed was a little clay.

* * *

***By sibling I meant North Korea who initially attacked the South first during the Korean war  
This story doesn't really have a time period...so take your best guess? Sorry failure on my part~  
**


End file.
